Decisions.Decisions.....Need helpful advice

I am indecisive between doing what I love which is baking and decorating cakes and my financial future. I know baking is my passion because when events come up I'm ready to make something or always bring something into work, and people who know me can see the desire in my eyes yet there is alot more I need to learn. I for one am a big believer in doing what you love. My degree right now is Marketing because I want to own my own bakery some day and feel it is better to know the business side. I am considering taking up nursing because it is a field that will always be in demand and the pay is good yet I know it is hard work. I am a caring person and all for helping people but nursing isn't my passion like baking is. My thing is what if baking doesn't take off well right away, should I go for a degree in nursing and make it my backup plan? Mind you I still will complete my marketing degree. But then I wonder if I get into the medical field, will I have time to bake and progress my skills. Advice appreciated.

Somewhat off topic, I know, and probably not a lot of help to you, but....When my grandfather was young, he wanted nothing more to be than a cowboy. His father advised him; yes, that would be a good choice but.... "get your education first". He went into law and became a prominent judge in Southern Utah. He was an authority on Western history and I treasure some of his volumes of literature today. This is a story I grew up hearing from my father. Take what you want from it. I really can't advise.

If money is your primary concern I would go for nursing and save money until you have enough to start a baking business debt-free.

You don't need a undergrad marketing degree to start a business, in fact you would probably be better served with a more broad-based education on all the topics relevant to entrepreneurship (marketing, operations, finance, accounting, economics, etc.).

If you love your job, you never have to work a day in your life because it's always fun. Follow your passion.

If you can work in a bakery and get some experience, including how the business side works, you'll have a better chance of success owning your own shop. If it doesn't work out, you can give some thought at that point about what you might want to do. With a marketing degree, you'll already have something to fall back on.

I'm an ICU nurse. Got off a 15 hour shift today (usually 12 hour shift but this pt was crashing), 4 of those hours were spent brushing up on procedures, and guidelines for what we were expecting from the OR. 7 of those 15 hours were spent not just on my feet but constantly moving physically, and mentally. 7 STRAIGHT hours. Running across units grabbing bags of blood that were literally getting poured into the patient. Titrating drips and trying to keep up with what vasopressor does what, and which one might be counteracting which based on what the monitors were screaming. Numbers flying across the room, it was almost dizzying. I can't go into more details but let it suffice to say that when I finally remembered that I wanted to pee, it had been a couple of hours. Constant, constant, intense mental and physical work; someones-life-is-on-the-line, and I-forgot-I have-a-bladder, where all that matters in the world is that one person, who can't do a thing to help the situation except just stay alive so that in the end, all the aches I feel now after the shift are worth it. The funny thing is, I thought to myself today, this man, when he finally comes out of it will never ever know how much of ourselves the 7-man team poured into him during the shift.

When I finally got a chance to grab a cookie and some juice at the end of the shift, I was literally shaking, my blood glucose must have been in the toilet.

Nursing is a great profession, but it is also very draining, thankless work. Do not go into it unless you mean it. Don't.

i know it may seem silly to say the obvious...but a lot of folks out there who have just started baking always think that doing something they "love" and then starting it as a business is still going to be something they LOVE. it doesn't quite work that way...your something you love becomes "work" and there's a lot more to it than just baking and decorating the cakes.

I have seen many people on this site, including myself, who have taken this passion of decorating cakes into a business...and eventually we get burnt out. I think that happens with any profession really. But, my point is, you have to have something to fall back on. A Marketing degree is going to help you in multiple aspects of the career industry other than just a business...and actually marketing is a very small aspect of business. so, if you are really wanting the bakery one day, go for the Business Degree because it's going to teach you accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, PR, and management. That degree has so much more to it than those focused degrees. and I can say that from experience because I have a Communication BA, but I wish I had done so much more.

One of the best things you can do for yourself, whether you become a baker or nurse, is to take a BOOKKEEPING course. Bookkeeping and accounting are not the same thing. You can always hire an accountant, but bookkeeping is something you'd better be able to tackle on your own. Of course, it helps if you know enough to keep an eye on your accountant, too.

It's quite possible to be satisfied (if not actually happy) doing something other than baking. If you are in a position to make the choice, good for you. A lot of us weren't for years. There's a lot to be said for financial security. On the other hand, there's a lot to be said for being happy in your work. And if you can do both - - heaven!

I've found that whenever I have an important decision to make, if there's any doubt whatsoever - - wait. Don't jump one way or the other. Most of the time the answer will present itself.

Nursing and bakery ownership require a LOT of technical knowledge that begins to be acquired in high school. Having a marketing degree makes no contribution whatsoever to those technical skills.

Being a nurse requires all the skills that it takes to save a life when you have been deprived of sleep for many weeks straight. Becoming a nurse to make $$$ is the ABSOLUTE WORST REASON TO DO SO.

Making a profit with a bakery requires knowing your baking procedures so perfectly that you keep your waste down. It means that you can hire and motivate staff who care enough to help you make a profit. It means that you can satisfy your customers so well that they spread the word about your excellent cakes. It means that you have real artistic ability to translate ideas into images.

i know it may seem silly to say the obvious...but a lot of folks out there who have just started baking always think that doing something they "love" and then starting it as a business is still going to be something they LOVE. it doesn't quite work that way...your something you love becomes "work" and there's a lot more to it than just baking and decorating the cakes.

I have seen many people on this site, including myself, who have taken this passion of decorating cakes into a business...and eventually we get burnt out. I think that happens with any profession really. But, my point is, you have to have something to fall back on. A Marketing degree is going to help you in multiple aspects of the career industry other than just a business...and actually marketing is a very small aspect of business. so, if you are really wanting the bakery one day, go for the Business Degree because it's going to teach you accounting, marketing, entrepreneurship, PR, and management. That degree has so much more to it than those focused degrees. and I can say that from experience because I have a Communication BA, but I wish I had done so much more.

I actually did read an article about passion vs hobby. I have always been creative since I was little and I love creating nothing out of something hence why I love baking. I do agree that I should do business admin because I looked into it and it does give you aspect of everything to do with business. Thanks for your expertise.

I'm an ICU nurse. Got off a 15 hour shift today (usually 12 hour shift but this pt was crashing), 4 of those hours were spent brushing up on procedures, and guidelines for what we were expecting from the OR. 7 of those 15 hours were spent not just on my feet but constantly moving physically, and mentally. 7 STRAIGHT hours. Running across units grabbing bags of blood that were literally getting poured into the patient. Titrating drips and trying to keep up with what vasopressor does what, and which one might be counteracting which based on what the monitors were screaming. Numbers flying across the room, it was almost dizzying. I can't go into more details but let it suffice to say that when I finally remembered that I wanted to pee, it had been a couple of hours. Constant, constant, intense mental and physical work; someones-life-is-on-the-line, and I-forgot-I have-a-bladder, where all that matters in the world is that one person, who can't do a thing to help the situation except just stay alive so that in the end, all the aches I feel now after the shift are worth it. The funny thing is, I thought to myself today, this man, when he finally comes out of it will never ever know how much of ourselves the 7-man team poured into him during the shift.

When I finally got a chance to grab a cookie and some juice at the end of the shift, I was literally shaking, my blood glucose must have been in the toilet.

Nursing is a great profession, but it is also very draining, thankless work. Do not go into it unless you mean it. Don't.

It is great to hear from a nurse's perspective. All I hear is it a rewarding job which I get but I feel like mmm I don't think you're telling me everything there is. I remember overhearing a nurse's conversation saying if she had it to do again she would have done EMT and tells people to go into a field their passionate about. I know all about working in a thankless job field but it doesn't compare to nursing.

Nursing and bakery ownership require a LOT of technical knowledge that begins to be acquired in high school. Having a marketing degree makes no contribution whatsoever to those technical skills.

Being a nurse requires all the skills that it takes to save a life when you have been deprived of sleep for many weeks straight. Becoming a nurse to make $$$ is the ABSOLUTE WORST REASON TO DO SO.

Making a profit with a bakery requires knowing your baking procedures so perfectly that you keep your waste down. It means that you can hire and motivate staff who care enough to help you make a profit. It means that you can satisfy your customers so well that they spread the word about your excellent cakes. It means that you have real artistic ability to translate ideas into images.

I have been to culinary school so I do know the technical skills as far as being precise in measurements and not wasting food. My career field is all about customer service so I have gained knowledge in that area.

I don't know anything about your life, so it's hard to comment. I don't know if you have a family, children, other means of support etc.

One thing I do know is that your profession (whether you love it or not) is a PART of your life. Make sure you protect your ability to have a financial quality of life that affords you things like a standard of living, medical insurance and a pension.

I have many friends that do "home baking" for a living. They are passionate and driven. They are making $ to have a decent standard of life. BUT they must rely on other family members for medical coverage, and they are pension blind. Don't fall into that place.

You may love baking as a hobby and hate it as a business. The joy of creating is not the same as having to create.

I don't say any of this to convince you to have another career besides baking. I say it because I believe you have to consider your entire life, and the security of your future.

Make sure you protect your ability to have a financial quality of life that affords you things like a standard of living, medical insurance and a pension.

I have many friends that do "home baking" for a living. They are passionate and driven. They are making $ to have a decent standard of life. BUT they must rely on other family members for medical coverage, and they are pension blind. Don't fall into that place.

That's definitely an important point...hopefully medical coverage will be less of an issue in the near future since the new healthcare law is working to help decouple medical coverage from employment. It is also much easier these days to create a tax-advantaged self-directed pension (a Roth IRA for example) assuming you have the discipline to save.

As someone whose frail mom is coming home today from a hospital stay....please do NOT become a nurse because you say it's a job and always in demand.

Nursing has to be a passion. The best nurses are passionate and caring, and aren't there for the money.

First - sorry your mom has been ill.

I agree that the best nurses consider it a passion, but I also see it as a very diverse field that does not always involve direct patient care. There is initial grunt work dues to pay, but once done, nursing has many many avenues to choose from. It is also one of the few professions that allows you to have a very tailored schedule based on the economy and your financial needs.

One of my children is a nurse practitioner. She took years off to raise her children and fell right back into a great position when the time was right to stop being a full time homemaker. Her passion changed from clinical to management. It flowed rather well.

I think you have to look at your entire life. You have to se eyour dreams beyond your 8 - 12 hour work day and plan for your future. If you are unsure and truly feel that baking is your only passion, maybe spend a year working for someone else in the baking world to see the larger picture of the baking profession. You may find that you don't love it as a 'have to' job, or you may just soar with it.

One thing I do know is that your profession (whether you love it or not) is a PART of your life. Make sure you protect your ability to have a financial quality of life that affords you things like a standard of living, medical insurance and a pension.

This is excellent advice. OP, I take it that you are a young professional, so things like pensions and health insurance may not be as high on your radar right now. But they will be--and with a soft economy right now, going into business for items that rely on disposable income may not be the best long-term idea.

Nursing offers a variety of different career fields. You could also mesh your love of helping with your passion for culinary arts and look into becoming a nutritionist. And nothing is stopping you from continuing to bake for friends and family; you can still do this without the hassle of contracts, last-minute orders, complaining customers, etc.

I totally agree with most views. Get your degree, it's always great to have a back up plan. I have 3 degrees and I am really thinking of opening up a store where I can make cakes and do make up ( I am a licensed make up artist too). More is more and in this world.

One of my children is a nurse practitioner. She took years off to raise her children and fell right back into a great position when the time was right to stop being a full time homemaker. Her passion changed from clinical to management. It flowed rather well.

No doubt your daughter studied biology in high school, to be admitted to a nursing program in the first place. She worked as a nurse for some years. Then she earned her masters degree to attain the NP certification.

But somebody like the OP who has done culinary school shouldn't need the degree in marketing to be a good baker. They should have been placed into one or more work rotations that would teach them the hands-on skills. Most culinary schools offer the specialized bakery training as an add-on.

I worked in restaurants for my first 2 jobs. Learned enough there to be able to manage a research lab as soon as I finished my bachelors degree. Didn't need an MBA or any other piece of paper to do a job well--just the hands-on stuff.

As someone whose frail mom is coming home today from a hospital stay....please do NOT become a nurse because you say it's a job and always in demand.

Nursing has to be a passion. The best nurses are passionate and caring, and aren't there for the money.

First - sorry your mom has been ill.

I agree that the best nurses consider it a passion, but I also see it as a very diverse field that does not always involve direct patient care. There is initial grunt work dues to pay, but once done, nursing has many many avenues to choose from. It is also one of the few professions that allows you to have a very tailored schedule based on the economy and your financial needs.

One of my children is a nurse practitioner. She took years off to raise her children and fell right back into a great position when the time was right to stop being a full time homemaker. Her passion changed from clinical to management. It flowed rather well.

I think you have to look at your entire life. You have to se eyour dreams beyond your 8 - 12 hour work day and plan for your future. If you are unsure and truly feel that baking is your only passion, maybe spend a year working for someone else in the baking world to see the larger picture of the baking profession. You may find that you don't love it as a 'have to' job, or you may just soar with it.

I <3 Nurse Practitioners my husband and I are sick today and are soo very THANKFUL that he is attending a university with a health and counseling center. The ladies that are there are wonderful and they are always telling me how much they love what they do, because they are helping students and it's not strenuous. just my lil opinion since it applied today.

After reading each post, I have to laugh....truly, I sincerely respect each comment but, the irony. I am a geriatric nurse. I have worked with geriatrics since I was a kid and now I'm 38. Nursing is so much more difficult than people think... regardless of what field your working in.The irony is, that I have been making cakes for family and co-workers on the side and have thought about putting my nursing degree on the back burner and making cakes full time. Sort of a backwards perspective in the original intention of the author of this post. I am constantly bombarded w/ requests for cakes. As of recent, I have declined making any more cakes for the public as I just dont have the time w/out stealing it away from my three children and already working 40hrs/wk. But, I really miss it and as a result, a part of me feels greatly deprived. I live in the suburbs of a metropolis. My husband is an insanely talented artist who has helped me w/ past cakes when I have needed help figuring out a technique, and he's never even baked a cake!...he reminds me of the Amazing Mike guy....just raw know how talent by simply looking at something. Sickening! lol! Anyway, my point is, I think between the two of us, we could do really well if we collectively opened a cake shop beginning in our kitchen where our state oks that. However, Im not so sure I want to attempt the risk of losing my benefits; health (primary $ winner and health insurance policy holder)...let alone the security of knowing Im going to receive a paycheck and my bills will be paid each month.....alot at stake opening your own business...just so unsure about the risks.

I am glad to hear everyones point of view. I am blessed in the sense that my college will be paid for entirely. I feel as if I have one time to try and get it right to be set financially for my future. I have worked with a hospital before, it was a good experience but I was on the admin side. I was thinking maybe I should try for nursing because I am caring and like to help people but at the same time its not a passion for me. I like how Lynne3 said being a nurse is a diverse field and doesn't always mean dealing directly with patients. Its more about security for me something to fall back on but I am seeing that a degree in Business Admin is right up there with medical degrees. Which like Step0nmi mentioned business admin will give me an overall look into owning a business as oppose to marketing which is a small aspect of it. I can see this being a win win situation with a business admin degree. Thanks everyone

Baking is my passion and I do it because I want to, because its fun for me and frankly I'm very selfish about my passion and the reasons why I do it. I listen to so many people say they do things for others benefit and that provides enjoyment to them but I would bake without a customer because I find decorating the cake to be relaxing and enjoyable of its own merit.

I have a career on the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm a mortician by trade. I've been in the funeral business ALL of my life, it is a career I knew I was destined to have and yes I enjoy it. But as you can imagine "happiness" is not an everyday part of the job, I see so many people on what is arguably the worst times of their lives. I enjoy doing something to counteract what I can potentially see on a day to day basis.

I have the business acumen to open a cake shop, I have the expertise I think to make a really successful store front but that is crossing the line from a passion to a career for me and I don't want to do that. Making their cake puts a smile on my face, that is why I bake. The smile on my customer's face is added bonus. Its hard sometimes to get my other business customers to reach that point.

Baking is my passion and I do it because I want to, because its fun for me and frankly I'm very selfish about my passion and the reasons why I do it. I listen to so many people say they do things for others benefit and that provides enjoyment to them but I would bake without a customer because I find decorating the cake to be relaxing and enjoyable of its own merit.

I have a career on the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm a mortician by trade. I've been in the funeral business ALL of my life, it is a career I knew I was destined to have and yes I enjoy it. But as you can imagine "happiness" is not an everyday part of the job, I see so many people on what is arguably the worst times of their lives. I enjoy doing something to counteract what I can potentially see on a day to day basis.

I have the business acumen to open a cake shop, I have the expertise I think to make a really successful store front but that is crossing the line from a passion to a career for me and I don't want to do that. Making their cake puts a smile on my face, that is why I bake. The smile on my customer's face is added bonus. Its hard sometimes to get my other business customers to reach that point.

Well a look at nursing from a patient's eye. Several years ago I had a medical nightmare that was made a nightmare by a very callous and uncaring doctor.

My condition was made worse by this doctor and so I had more hospital stays than I should have needed. So. I met a LOT of nurses in this process. You could tell from the get-go who loved their job and who didn't, and I can only think back and remember one name. It was the nurse that was supposed to "observe" me because I was supposed to go home, and due to an emergency they had to keep me overnight. She started her shift, wrote her name on the board and left. Several hours later I was losing consciousness and I couldn't move. I could barely think, and I couldn't move to press buttons on the call thing. For an hour I watched the clock and fought to stay "with it", no one ever checked back. In the middle of the night a woman came in, I couldn't even open my eyes, she needed me to sign something and I was barely able to speak, but SHE helped me. She stayed there and listened as I tried to speak. At one point she said, oh, I'll check back and I managed to get through to her that I wasn't okay and SHE pressed the call button.

Needless to say OTHER people came, I needed oxygen and she had turned it off at the beginning of her shift without ever checking back.

No, I have no idea what ever happened to her, I never saw anyone else until the shift change in the morning. When the new nurse came in and told me how much I had to pee to go home I looked her straight in the eye and told her to start bringing me ginger ale and I would start peeing.

That's the other thing, the post-op nurse said that I needed lots of fluids all night, I could have water, broth or ginger ale. I was NEVER offered a drink by this nurse, not even ice. My mouth was so dry by morning that I thought it would never go back to normal.

I don't think that girl liked her job. I stayed overnight before that night, I had er trips and other overnights after that night and I never had treatment like that. I don't know what would have happened to me if the woman with the paperwork had not come in, because after the oxygen was turned back on I still had NOT ONE PERSON check on me until the shift change that morning. I didn't sleep because I really thought at the time that I would die there.

When I have been at work (bakery) and things were really nuts, during the holidays, the cake season, whatever. I was tired, cranky and stressed beyond belief, but at the end of the day I looked forward to the next day because I loved my job. If you are tired and stressed and you DON'T love your job that's when you stop caring. Nursing is NOT a profession to be in if you stop caring.

And my Aunt just told me that at her hospital they are laying off nurses, LPNs to RNs. It's not a guaranteed job in any economy.